Philippians 2:22-30 "Fellow Worker and Fellow Soldier"

Again. So let us let us pray over this. Lord God, I do thank you, Lord, for these little ones in our church, Lord. God, I would ask that they be an encouragement to each one of us in this room, Lord, at truly the duty that each one of us possesses, especially their parents, in teaching them about you, Lord.

God, I would ask today that in the means of looking through this text, Lord, that you would be glorified, that you would be magnified, Lord. And God, I would also ask that you would keep dear brother Jonathan safe as he's going on this call, Lord God.

Be with him too. And we just say these things in your name. Amen. So let's go ahead and read over this text for us today. Philippians chapter 2, verses 22 through 30 is what we're looking at. Verses 22 through 30 says this, But you know of his proven worth that he served with me in the furtherance of the gospel like a child serving his father.

Therefore, I hope to send him immediately as soon as I evaluate my own circumstances. And I am confident in the Lord that I myself also will be coming shortly. But I regard it necessarily to send to you, and this is a difficult name to say right here, I got to scroll down to my notes because I wrote down how I was gonna pronounce it for you guys, because it is a difficult one to say.

It is, or I think it is difficult anyway. Epaphrodites is how I was looking at it. I don't know if that's right. Evelyn's looking at me like, Brayden, what did you just say? So we're gonna, we're gonna use that as the saying for today.

Just know, let me, let me be clear in that. So Epaphrodites, my brother and fellow worker and soldier who is your messenger and minister to my need, because he was longing for you all and was distressed because you had heard that he was sick, for indeed he was sick to the point of death.

But God had mercy on him, and not on me only, but also, or not on him only, but also on me, so that I would not have sorrow upon sorrow. Therefore, I have sent him all the more eagerly, so that when you see him again, you may rejoice and I may be less concerned.

Receive him, then, in the Lord with all joy, and hold men like him in high regard, because he came close to death for the work of Christ, risking his life to fulfill what was lacking in your service to me.

Very interesting text. Let us go ahead and pray over this. Lord God, I would ask today, Lord, as we look through these eight verses, God, that you would be magnified, that our understanding of you would only be increased, Lord.

God, help us navigate this text with concern of wanting to know what you want us to know in this, Lord. God, just be there with us. Help myself adequately teach on these things, Lord. Let us all be led by your Spirit today, Lord.

And so, we ask these things in the name of Jesus Christ, who spilt his blood for us. Amen. Verses 22 through 30 here. So, again, as a reminder of the context, this is Paul writing a letter to the church of Philippi.

Paul is writing these things while he himself is in prison, and the last time we were in this text of the book of Philippians was three weeks ago, and when we are last in this text, we examine some things about Timothy and how the Christian ought to be living in his life, his or her life, regarding the knowing that Christ will be coming back.

It's kind of what we covered last week, or a couple weeks ago in this text. Let's read, actually, verses 14 through 22, just as a reminder of where we were in this, since it's been some time since we looked at it.

Verse 14 and on, it says, do all things without grumbling or disputing, so that you will be blameless and innocent, children of God, without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation. I want to pause here and remind us, Paul is emphasizing how the Christian ought to act within church together with other Christians.

He's emphasizing how all of us should be walking in a united life together, so that when the outside world looks at us, they would see something that appears blameless and innocent, that they see these individuals acting as one spirit and in one mind.

Just as when the marriage comes together, a husband and a wife, it's supposed to appear as one flesh, so too in the church is to have this appearance of unity, and this is to magnify not ourselves, not each other, but it's to magnify Christ who lives within us.

So children of God, without blemish, in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation. Now that's important, too, because we look outside today and a lot of us would say, oh man, it's really crooked and perverse outside, which it is, amen, it is, it's not right outside, it's evil outside, but that's how it's always been.

So how is the church always to behave? Exactly like this, exactly like this. Among whom you shine as lights in this world. So we are to shine as a light amongst the darkness, holding fast the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I will have reason to boast, because I did not run in vain, nor labor in vain.

And I just, I hope that you are reminded of that message weeks ago when we were in this text. Paul's work of running and doing all his labor that we even see in this text, it has not been in vain, because it's encouraging us today.

It's encouraging us today. So it is not in vain. God has been glorified by the works of Paul in these last 2 ,000 years, and he will be so done so until he comes again, no doubt. But let us go ahead and read verse 17 and on now.

It says, but even if I am being poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I rejoice and share my joy with you all. And you also rejoice in the same way and share your joy with me.

But I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy. So now Paul is gone from exhorting this church, and now he's talking about what he's hoping to do in the future, as well as what's going on with this other individual that we have here named in verse 25.

He says, but I hope in the Lord to send Timothy to you shortly, so that I may also be in good spirits when I learn of your circumstances. For I have no one else of kindred spirit who will genuinely be concerned about your circumstances.

For they also, now he's referring back to chapter 1, the other individuals that are preaching out of vainglory, preaching out of wrong motives. He says, for they all seek after their own interests, not those of Christ Jesus.

So now we understand this context of what Paul is continually going about in this chapter, how he's going to end this chapter. We will probably most likely be reading here, in fact, let's pause and read just a few verses into chapter 3 to see where this text is going, because then it'll help us understand the transition that's taking place here in these verses.

Let's go to chapter 3, and we'll just read just a few verses here. Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things again is no trouble to me. So Paul is saying, I'm writing these things again to you, and it is a safeguard for you.

Beware of dogs, beware of the evil workers, beware of the false circumcision, or the mutilation, as another way to say this, beware of the mutilation. For we are the circumcision who worship in the Spirit of God, and boast in Christ Jesus, and put no confidence to the flesh.

Although I myself have, then he goes in, we'll pause here, and we'll just stop in this text. He then goes on to tell about how all the ways he has to boast regarding the law, regarding him being a Pharisee, and it's boasting of himself, but then he says, I consider all these things a loss in the surpassing knowledge of knowing Christ Jesus.

This is a text I love. Chapter 3 is one of my most favorite chapters in all of the New Testament, because of this chapter here, about him magnifying Christ, him saying, I regard all things a loss. Dung is what he calls it.

And so we will get into this, these texts, these verses here in the following weeks, in the coming weeks, but today, verse 22 through 30, I hope that's helpful to see where we're at, where we're going.

But verse 22, after him making reference to these other individuals that are preaching Christ out of vain glory, he then says, but you know of his proven worth. Who is Paul making reference to? Well, as we just read, you would know he is talking about Timothy.

Timothy, this young pastor who has followed Paul, one that has been raised up by a woman that has Jewish heritage, Jewish tradition, and he's also been raised by a father who is a Greek. He is not Jewish, so he's been raised in this interesting household, but he's come to faith, and he's been following Paul his whole ministry life.

So he's this faithful young pastor who Paul even says that he has this kindred spirit, and he says that he will be genuinely concerned about your circumstances. It's a young man who loves the bride of Christ.

It's a young man who loves the service of the church. He loves and sincerely seeks after Christ in these ways. He's following the example of Paul. He's following the words of Jesus to feed and to tend the sheep.

He's doing this faithfully and honorably. We'll note later on, but this is something that when we see a man or a woman in any regard serving God, these are people that we ought to hold in high regard.

These are people that we ought to look at and say, I just want to give you a hug because of the aid you've provided for me and to me. If Timothy was here today, I would want to go and shake his hand and give him a big hug and tell him thank you for the service that you provided to this church of Phillipi.

Thank you for pastoring the local flock. Thank you for caring for the bride of Christ because what he has done in this day has made a way for us to be in the day that we are in today. They are men to be held in high regard.

You know of his proven worth. Proven worth. This is not just a man who has had just one example of doing the right thing or caring for an individual. It could be quite easy to see somebody that is new as a Christian just do one thing that is right, but it's another thing to see year after year after year.

Maybe they're not perfect. Maybe they mess up here or there, but you see that they have a proven character about themselves. Time reveals these things to us. I think about even in my own life when I first became a individual who seemed to really care for myself, seemed to really care for the church, seemed to really care about theology and everything that you would think would come along with having a walk in Christ.

But as time went on, as months advanced, this gentleman became a false prophet, a false teacher. Somebody that actually denied Jesus as the Christ. It still hurts my heart to even think about it because it was a man in the beginning of my walk that I looked up to and with time he was not proven as a Christian.

He did not have a proven character about himself. Time reveals these things to us. And so Paul is saying with this time, with the time that I've walked with Timothy, he has a proven character about himself.

He has advanced the gospel and not only has he advanced the gospel, but he's also served with me as a child serving his father. The furtherance of the gospel. What does that saying here in verse 22, what does that imply for us as the church?

One, I think it would be very obvious, we ought to be sharing the gospel with those that are not saved. Immediately our eyes should look to Ron for help on how to do something such like this, how to proclaim the gospel boldly to individuals.

We have an opportunity this Friday to go and share the gospel with people that are not saved. Timothy did things like this. We have example after example in the scripture about how men would go boldly into the cities and proclaim the gospel to those that are not saved.

We have an opportunity for that this Friday. Come join us this Friday. That's the first thing that this teaches us. We ought to be sharing the gospel with those that are not saved. The second thing I think that I see in this is that we ought to be helping those that are saved within our body, within the body of Christ.

Advancing the gospel is not just advancing it to the outside world, but it's also advancing it inside the hearts of the individual believer. Helping us lean that much more on the rock of Jesus Christ, helping encourage those around us to have them go share the gospel, for them to do that which is right, to help them be that of proven character.

That's involved with advancing the gospel. So it's twofold I think in this, that Timothy as a young pastor, when you read the whole book of Timothy and you read the whole book of Titus, you see that Paul is exhorting these young men to not only share the gospel amongst the lost, but also to build the bride of Christ up.

So advancing the gospel also is for those that are inside the body of Christ. And then the third thing I think I see in this, that I would exhort us to examine and think about, is that this is to be done with a biblical exhortation and teaching.

It's ought to be done with looking at the scripture and see how does this take place. There's a saying that came about in the day of the Reformation, which I am terrible with Latin, but Latin always makes us sound smart, so I will try my hardest to say it right now.

Please don't mind my large head up here, but it's Ecclesia Sembra Reformanda Est. That Latin saying that came about like I said in the days of the Reformation, is that the church must always be reforming.

The church always ought to be looking at scripture and trying to mold our lives, our body, our church together with one another. We ought to always try to be molding our body to the shape of what? To the shape of what scripture tells us to be molded to.

It's not ever done. But that was the whole point of the Reformation that Martin Luther and other individuals of that day were trying to say, is that we hold to scripture alone. That scripture alone is what teaches us to how God wants us to be, and we always ought to be shaping our life, our theology, our singing, our music, our children, our family, our workplace.

Doesn't matter what it is, we ought to be shaping it to that what scripture tells us to be. Scripture alone. Sola Scriptura is what is the backbone of every reforming church. The Reformation knew this in the days of the 1500s.

Today it's just that important. Look to scripture alone to guide us in these things. Now why do I say something like that? Because a lot of people out there would say that advancing the gospel would be actually doing that which scripture tells us not to be doing.

And this is dangerous. And I say, Braden, what are you trying to get out of this? There's a really common movement today that home Bible studies can replace the worship amongst a biblical church. How many times have you talked to somebody and you said, do you know Jesus Christ or anything along those lines?

And they say, oh I know. And you say, okay what church do you go to? And they say, oh I don't go to church. I do Bible studies on Saturdays with my friends. Or I do Bible studies with this group of people on a Sunday.

And what church is that amongst? What leadership is there? What kind of grounding is there in scripture for something like that? And they have no answer for it. It's usually individuals that don't want to go to church that build these home Bible studies.

Now that's not me saying that Bible studies are bad. That's not what I'm saying. But scripture tells us do not forsake the assembling together. It tells us that we are to come together and worship corporately.

So what happens when somebody, oh I'm going to replace church, corporate worship together with this Bible study that is rogue in nature, that doesn't have any support from the local church? That's actually going against scripture.

I hope in their Bible studies that they open up to texts like Hebrews 11 and they study in there. Why are we forsaking the assembly? Why are we not coming underneath a pastor and doing this? Why are we not looking to the leaders of the church, the elders?

Another example of something along these lines of obvious going against scripture would be something like women pastors in the church. It is a trustworthy saying, if any man aspires the office of overseer, he desires a good work and overseer then must be above reproach.

The husband of one wife, sensible, temperate, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not addicted to wine or pugnacious, but considerate, peaceful, peaceable, free from the love of money, leading his own household well, having his children in submission with all dignity.

But if a man does not know how to lead his own household, how will he take care of the church of God and not a new convert so that he will not become conceited and fall into the condemnation of the devil.

And he must have a good reputation with those outside the church so that he will not fall into the reproach of the snare of the devil. Again a clear seeing of a church going rogue, going against the scriptures, is not following what scripture commands us to do.

And women pastors are an example of such. Look again at, there's so many examples upon example upon example of this. That individual I was talking about earlier, he became a pastor as before he went atheist and and and had bad bad things take place.

No ordination, no laying on hands, he never came under the submission of another church, but he just came out with the title I'm the pastor. He rented a building and he started inviting people and people started coming and listening to his teaching.

It was not two months later when he was renouncing Christ, renouncing salvation through grace alone, renouncing everything that the Bible tells us. Again a clear example, a new convert in the place of authority, not coming underneath the tutelage, not coming underneath scripture alone at what the church should be set up as.

There's example after example after example of this, but the point of this is that us as a church must always seek refuge in the Bible for our guidance in all that we do or our mind will create a whatever is whatever kind of fix-it solution that our minds can come up with.

Scripture alone, we must always be reforming ourselves to what it teaches us. So again, Timothy, you know he has proven worth, you know he's been following the Bible, you know he's been following my exhortation, he's been serving like a child serving his father.

So this is interesting because Paul sees himself here as to Timothy, he sees him in this fatherly position within the church. I find this remarkable, brothers and sisters, every time we see the Bride of Christ talked about in scriptures, it is always using these familiar, familiar, I can't even say it, family language.

Father, mother, son, daughter, brother, sister. When we look to each other we shouldn't see a distant cousin, we should see a brother and a sister in Christ, that we've been adopted into the family of God.

Paul sees this amongst a man that has proven worth, that he sees himself as a father in the Bride of Christ, the son of his, Timothy. And he says, I hope therefore, so he says therefore, I hope to send him immediately as soon as I evaluate my own circumstances.

So what Paul is getting at in here is that in verse 23 Paul sees the service of Timothy as an aid to the church of Philippi. He sees it as a benefit to them, and Paul wants the service of Timothy to be with this church.

And again, I just I find it so remarkable that we have this young pastor being sent by Paul, an apostle, as a minister to the word of the people there that are going through suffering. And yeah, it's remarkable, I think, when I think about this.

But verse 24 it says, and I am confident in the Lord that I myself also will be coming shortly. So Paul has already said in this text, as a reminder, in Philippians chapter 1 verse 21, he says, for if it is for me to live, it is Christ, and to die is gain, and not in any sort of suicidal language as some people would like to say.

He says, I don't know which one to choose. He's saying, I don't know which one is better and more prosperous for the church. For if I die, I have a surety in Christ. He says, if I die, I know it's going to be gain.

I'm going to be with Christ. It is only going to be bliss. And he says, I would much rather have that. That that is much better than what the circumstance I'm in right now. The the lashings, the chains, the brand marks, all these things that are on the body of Paul.

He says, it's far better. It's far better for me to be with Christ. I would much rather have that. But then he says, he says though, but I see it though, more beneficial to you if the latter. It's it's more beneficial to the church if Paul is to live.

It's more beneficial because Paul can be a example to the church as he is today, as he was back then. He does not die in prison this time. He dies the next time, but he doesn't this time. It's more beneficial to the church that he can pen this letter to us.

That he can pen this letter to that church. It's more beneficial. So so he's saying, I am confident in the Lord that I myself, so so if the Lord would, Terry, if if I would continue in the suffering, I know that I will too come to this church after Timothy will come to you.

But I regard it necessary, verse 25, but I regard it necessary to send to you, again this is the hard word to say, that this hard name, Ephephrodites, Ephephrodites. I have a hard time with that. But this, thank you, thank you, I appreciate you.

This is the challenge of, I can't, I have a hard time with all these names. There was another verse that I wanted to go read to that had different men that Paul was talking about. I was like though, there's, I can make mention of it, but that's just three more names I'm gonna have a hard time pronouncing.

So I chose not to read it for us today. So I apologize for that. But this gentleman, so now Paul's now turning his attention from Timothy to this gentleman, and he calls him his fellow brother, his fellow worker, and fellow soldier.

So who is this man that's talked about in this text? Later on in this book he refers to him another time. This is the only place in Scripture, two places in Scripture, that this man has made mention of.

It's actually the man who has come to Paul and has brought this gift offering to him from this church. And let's look at Philippians chapter 4 verse 18. It says, but I have received everything in full and have an abundance.

I am amply supplied, having received from, or look to Maryland to pronounce that for me, thank you, thank you, what you have sent, a fragrant aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well-pleasing to God. He has received this fragrant aroma from this church, who's given him this love offering.

He's very appreciative of it. So the idea of who this gentleman most likely it is, it's not exactly spelt out for us in Scripture, but what it most likely is, this is a elder, or is an elder a leader of this church of Philippi.

A leader, a pastor, an elder of this church has come and has brought Paul this love offering from the church while Paul is suffering. Now again, what does Paul call him? Does he call him a distant cousin?

Does he call him a stranger? No, he calls him my brother. Look back here in verse 20, 25. My brother, my fellow worker. Does Paul see what he's going through as something solo, or something united as a body?

Does he see himself doing all the work for God, or does he say that there's other work to be done? That he sees that there's other things, people doing stuff. There is work to be done, brothers and sisters.

The the proclaiming of the gospel, the refining and reforming ourself to Scripture, there is work. Don't wait an extra day or another day to make yourself more biblical. There is work in these things.

I think of Kelly and Daylynn and their ranch. If there is something that needed to be done around the house, is Daylynn gonna go do it? Kelly's giving us a little chuckle right now. He's gonna maybe send one of his sons to go do it.

Why? Because there's work to be done. You look at our own local bride, you look at those streets outside, and we're not talking about the street department, you look outside to the world, and I hope you think to yourself, there is work to be done.

You should look to yourself, and you see the the rotten, vile individual that we are, and you ought to say to yourself, there is work to be done. You are to be a fellow worker, along with this man, along with Paul, along with Timothy.

Be a fellow worker. But not only this, he also calls him a fellow soldier. Turn with me to 2nd Timothy chapter 2. 2nd Timothy chapter 2. Take a pause as you are thinking through this, as you're turning there, and think to yourself, is there anything in my life that I have work to be done in?

And I think every one of us, if you're not saying yes and shaking your head yes and nodding yes, you're lying to yourself and there is work to be done. Addie's up here shaking her head. There is work to be done.

There is work to be done. This is a good thing. This is a good thing to know and acknowledge. Work is to be done. Don't tarry in doing this work. Look to what Timothy, or what Paul says to Timothy in here.

You therefore, my child, again a father and his son, my child, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. So Timothy is having to be reminded of this. This young proven character pastor is being reminded about this.

Be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus and the things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses. Entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. Again, the importance of leadership and elders and pastors in the church.

Teach others also. Suffer, this is remarkable, suffer hardship with me as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier.

And also if anyone who competes as an athlete he is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules. The hard-working farmer ought to be the first to receive his share of the crops. Understand what I say for the Lord will give you insight in everything.

Remember Jesus Christ risen from the dead and the seed of David according to my gospel for which I endured hardship. Even, he's referring to these chains he's talking about in Philippians, even to chains as a criminal but the Word of God has not been chained.

The Word of God has not been chained. For this reason I endure all things for the sake of the elect so that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. It is a trustworthy saying.

Listen to Paul say this creed of his day. For if we died with him we will also live with him. If we endure we will also reign with him. If we will deny him he will also deny us. If we are faithless he remains faithful for he cannot deny himself.

Let's go back to Philippians chapter 2. Is a soldier, is a well good soldier as Paul has just told Timothy to behave in the book of Timothy and now is referring to this man here in Philippians chapter 2.

Would it be a good soldier if he did not prepare for war? If he did not prepare for battle? If he did not strategize? If he did not prepare the things for war would he be called a good soldier if we did that?

Would you be safe and secure in the United States if you thought that was the right way that a soldier ought to behave? Just be lazy, don't prepare, don't think, don't strategize, don't do any of these things.

Would that be a wise soldier? No. A good soldier, and we all recognize this, a good soldier is one who prepares for battle and for war. He is one that suffers but does so for a greater purpose. We have men and women today that understand this concept oh so very well to what Paul is illustrating the language of a soldier.

There are many different types and roles of soldiers, strategies, war plans, and so forth have been laid out for the soldier and sometimes we suffer the loss of battles and sometimes it's at a great loss that we lose.

However, we know that Christ has crushed the head of the serpent on the cross. Therefore, he has won the war and we are now suffering in the wake of the defeat of the defeat of that serpent and we are awaiting the glorious return of Jesus Christ himself.

There are going to be difficult battles, there are going to be difficulties that come about, however we await the victor Jesus Christ. Paul is saying be a worker, be a soldier because he knows what the church will be going through.

He knows who himself is suffering these things. He then says because he was longing for you all and was distressed. So he says my brother my fellow worker who is also your minister your messenger and minister to my need because he was longing for you all and was distressed because you had heard that he was sick.

So this gentleman that's most likely an elder of a church, he's now with Paul and he's now suffering himself because he was sick, he's longing for his church, he's longing for the local church that he is leading, he's longing to be with them.

He says for indeed he was sick to the point of death. So most likely what has taken place is in the process of bringing this love offering from this church to Paul. He's become sick at some point and the sickness has brought him to the point of death and so he's in distress.

He wants to be with the local bride, the bride that he is pastoring, the bride that he's tending for and he's been brought to this point of death and he's longing for them and it says that God had mercy on him and not on him only but also on me.

So Paul's saying not only is this man live but also I have lived. Again for me to live is Christ and die is gain and Paul says so that I would not have sorrow upon sorrow. So what was one of the reasons when we look at Hindsight 2020 and we look and we read this text in the midst of that gentleman's illness and him almost being brought to death you would probably think that that was not a great thing that he's going through.

Probably not the greatest thing but again you look and you look the day after and you see okay so what is one of the outcomes of him living and going through this? Is he suffering now with Paul? Yeah.

He's there with Paul suffering with him. It says that he has made it so he does not have sorrow upon sorrow. That because this man has gone through this illness, been with Paul now, been sick to the point of death that now since he's living with Paul sorrow upon sorrow does not come upon Paul.

So he's now being bringing comfort to Paul in the in the process of him being in prison and he says therefore I have sent him. So now another reason that this man is living is that he's been now sent back to the church that he's pastoring and he's being sent back more eagerly so that when you see him again you may rejoice and I may be less concerned.

So one of the reasons that this man has been left alive is not only to care for Paul and it's not only to go back and help this little church, this Church of Philippi, but it is also as an encouragement for Paul himself that he won't be as concerned because he knows what?

Why would he not be concerned over this church if this man goes back there? He'd be less concerned is what it says. Most likely again it is because this man is a strong leader within the church. He knows that it's a man that will actually shepherd the sheep.

It's a man that will no doubt be the things that we talked about earlier with being refined to the Word of God. He's not concerned about this man going back. And then look at this verse 29 through 30.

Receive him then in the Lord with all joy and hold men like him in high regard because he came close to death for the work of Christ, risking his life to fulfill what was lacking in your service to me.

Brothers and sisters, when we look throughout the last few thousand years, when we talk about saints and brothers and sisters in Christ, who are the ones that come to your mind? Is it the one that was the lazy worker that never did anything for Christ?

The one that you've ever heard of? Is that the one that we talk about? Is that the one that we look to for our example? It's the ones that were bold in their faith. It's the ones that were strong in Christ.

It's the ones that acted as a soldier. It's the ones that saw on the ranch there's work to be done. I'm gonna go do it. It's the ones that saw outside and planned and waged war with the enemy outside.

It's those ones that are remembered. Now we don't act in the day as we sung all praise be to Christ. We don't act in a way that I'm gonna do these things so my name can be remembered. But think about this.

The more you exalt Christ, Christ will be glorified in these things. The gospel will be at advance. And brothers and sisters like you and I ought to look at these people. We're told in the Scripture to look at these people and hold them in high regard.

It's not a bad thing to say we look at Spurgeon. We look at Luther. We look at, we have plenty of plenty. A .W. Pink. You look at all these different individuals. George Whitfield here in the United States.

You look at them and you hold them in high regard. Not because they were saved by their own works, but you see a sinner that was saved who now magnifies Christ far beyond what we thought ever possible in our own lives.